For the penultimate tune in his Monterey Jazz Festival set, bassist Scott Colley called a haunting ballad called "The Peacocks." It gave drummer Antonio Sanchez and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter a chance to inhabit a tune, to dig deeply into a melody and extract its rich marrow. It also afforded Colley a moment to plug the composer — the late, great pianist Jimmy Rowles, who he gigged with as a teenager growing up in Los Angeles. Skip ahead a few decades: Colley, now based in New York, has toured extensively with legends (Carmen McRae, Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, etc.) and, increasingly, is bringing his own bands on the road.

Finally, that break in the action allowed him to praise Monterey. Colley had been coming north from L.A. to these same county fairgrounds since he was 12, he told the audience, and clearly relished the opportunity to perform his own music there. Speaking of which, the trio then slammed into a heavy, rock-ish beat on "Take It And Like It," leaving scorched earth and marveled expressions in its wake.

A Blog Supreme is an ongoing conversation about jazz for both indoctrinated fans and curious listeners. Want to know more? Read our introduction to the blog. Want to get in touch with with host Patrick Jarenwattananon and the team? Send us an email.